James h



PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES JAMES H. CABLES, OF PLYMOUTH HOLLOW, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR 'EO AMERICAN KNIFE. COMPANY, OE SAME PLACE.

COMBINATION 0F KNIFE, FORK, AND SPOON.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 34,712, dated March 18, 1862.

To aZZ whoml 'it may: concern:

` Be it known that I, JAMES H. CABLES, of Plymouth Hollow, in the county of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Combination of Knife, Fork, and Spoon; and' I d'oy hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front edge view of the same, without the spoon and with the knife opened. Fig. 3 is a side View of the knife opened and detached from the fork and spoon. Fig. 4 is a side view of the fork and spoon in condition for use, detached from the knife.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to obtain a knife, fork and spoon so combined in one article as' to be conveniently carried in any pocket of a soldiers or travelers garment and without occuping but little more room therein than an ordinary pocket knife, either of the instruments being capable of being detached from the others, and as convenient for table use as the same when made separate, and in the usual manner, the spoon also being easily detached from its handle so as to leave the knife and fork combined within the compass of the former, and is no larger than a common pocket-knife.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

The handle of the knife is made in two parts A, B, which are eXact counterparts of each other and are precisely the same as the handle of a single-bladed pocket knife with the outer covering of the scales, on one side, removed to allow the two parts of the handle to be closely united together. Each of these parts A, B, is provided with the usual back spring fastened between the scales which form the rough metal underhandle and to which the outer pieces are attached by rivets, of which there may be two or more. The knife blade C, is fastened by its tang f, between the scales of the part B, by a rivet a, in the usual manner. The fork D, is provided with a similar tang and `fastened in a similar manner in the part A, so as toopelr and shut like the blades of a knivfe. Formed in the uncovered scale-of the part B', which forms the handle for the knife when detached from. the fork and spoon are two key-hole shaped.l slots c, and secured in the uncovered scale of the part A, which forms the handle for the fork and also for the spoon, are pins d, e, provided on their outer extremities with an enlargement or head, which when the two parts A, B, are put together prevent them from spreading apart. The pin el, prot-rudes through its slot when the two parts of the handle are put together more than the pin e, to allow a metal catch g, which is attached by a rivet z', on the inside of one of the scales of the knife handle and provided with a notch near its front end to shut down over the pin d, inside of its head to prevent any independent end movement of the two parts of the handle. The spoon E, is provided with a tang j, which is fitted in a recess in the back end of the handle A of the fork, so as to open and shut, the bend in the tang, where it adj oins the bowl of the spoon, when shut fit-ting in a groove 7c, in the outer covering of the handle, which groove is described from the pivot of the spoon. A spring h, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4) pressing against the back side of the tang of the spoon and resting at its front end against a shoulder on the tang when the spoon .is opened in line with the handle serves to prevent the spoon from being opened beyond that position and also holds it firm for use, when the spoon is shut upon the handle of the fork the spring serving to keep it in place.

The tang of the spoon by which it is fastened in the handle is provided with a curve slot m, which opens out at one side (shown clearly by dotted lines in Fig. 4) instead of a drilled eye to allow the spoon to be detached from the handle. This is effected by partly shutting the spoon upon the handle and pressing it toward the back end, the rivet which forms the pivot for the same escaping by the slot. The spring h, which presses against the tang of the spoon is secured in the outer covering of the handle by an enlargement on one end which is embedded in a corresponding cavity in the covering of the handle. The two parts of the handle separated (as shown by Figs, 4 and 5) to unite them together only require the headed pins of the part A to be inserted in the keyhole shaped slots in the part B, and moved endwise until the two parts match, when the catch is turned down over the pin al, and the two parts of the -handle thereby firmly locked together.

The Within described invention is'l more especially designed for the use of soldiers and others who are required to carry their table instruments upon Vtheir person, combining as it does the advantages of three instruments in one, being light and compact in form and not'liable to easily get out of order.

I do not claim, broadly, combining a knife,

fork and spoon in one article or instrument;

ating substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein shown and described.

JAMES H. CABLES. Witnesses:

HIRAM PIERCE, WM. W. KING. 

